Why A Calorie Is Not A Calorie

Today, everybody talks about calories. But do you know why why a calorie is not a calorie? Read this!

Thursday, July 6, 2017, 11:08 [IST]

Today, everybody talks about calories. They maintain charts that explain the number of calories that exist in all types of foods. But do you know why counting calories isn't enough.

Most of us think that controlling calorie consumption is enough to maintain fitness and health. But frankly speaking, there is a lot more to do.

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One might need to understand why all calories are not equal. Here are some more facts.

Where We Get Calories From

Calories can come from carbohydrates, protein or fat. A calorie if a way of measuring energy. One calorie from carbs may be equal to one calorie of protein in terms of energy but it doesn't mean that they are equal.

As your body has a different way to process each nutrient, all nutrients don't have the same effect on your body.

How Food Gets Processed

The body needs some energy to process the food we eat. So, the energy your body requires to metabolize protein is not equal to the energy it requires to metabolize carbs or fat. This way, calories from those three sources could make a lot of difference.

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Protein Metabolism

Your body may require more energy to metabolize protein compared to carbohydrates. This is what we must remember when choosing a diet.

Why A Calorie Is Not A Calorie

So, the final effect of eating 100 calories of protein is not equal to eating 100 calories of carbohydrates. Why?

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Well, your body needs more energy to process protein than carbs, right? So, eating protein will make your body spend more calories to process it. Protein adds fewer calories than carbs.

Why Diets Fail

That is the reason why it is not wise to obsessively follow calorie counting diets without understanding how your body processes different types of foods.

Feeling Full

The reason why you tend to feel hungry after eating carbohydrates is because they digest faster and cause sugar spikes. You again feel hungry in a while and eat something else. This could cause weight gains.

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Calories From Protein

When you eat more calories from protein, your body spends more calories in metabolizing them and you will also feel full for longer. Even fat can keep you full.